Listed as Critically Endangered as numbers have declined by over 90% over the last three generations. In recent years numbers have increased to 594 in the major range state, Kenya, where most animals are now better protected in smaller sanctuaries where law enforcement effort can be concentrated. However with the rise in illegal rhino horn prices poaching has been increasing in Kenya in recent years (as it has in some other major rhino range states). Numbers have increased to 88 in Tanzania with a further 60 in an out of range and rapidly breeding population in South Africa. Continentally there are now 740 D. b.michaeli making it the rarest of the three remaining black rhino subspecies.